The Day Planner
by Inukag-Obsession
Summary: She didn't expect to meet him in a club and go home with him. He didn't expect her to leave so fast in the morning, without knowing her name. But when she leaves behind a clue, Inuyasha will do everything to find the girl he had a one night stand with...
1. Prologue: To Decide

**The Day Planner**

**Prologue**

**To Decide**

From the day Kagome Higurashi met Sango Taijiya, she knew they would be best friends forever. Sango was so much different than Kagome; she went out all the time, got wasted every weekend, while Kagome had her nose in a book when she had a minute alone.

It's like what they say, opposites attract.

The whole time that Sango had been friends with Kagome, she had tried her best to get the girl to unwind. It was safe to say that she hadn't really succeeded. Sure, Kagome had made a lot of social progress since she'd been friends with Sango. She spent more time focusing on fun than she'd ever done before, but when she compared it to the time Sango spent in the hottest club scenes, she realized that she didn't spend enough time relaxing.

An excellent student, Kagome had been accepted at Harvard and Yale, and had still been trying to decide which one she wanted to go to when Sango had gotten her late admission to Yale. The decision that had seemed so hard to make was suddenly easy: They would go to Yale together.

As native Japanese, they had both been living in Tokyo, but had immigrated to the United States after a few years. Their whole families knew each other, and had been friends for years. Moving to New York had been hard, but both families had had each other to help get through leaving Japan.

Yet the closeness between the two girls had not stopped them from being envious of each other. Kagome would have killed to get away with all the crazy things that Sango got away with, all because of her charming smile. Sango was an extremely lucky person, and while she never took anything seriously, the little time she spent studying or working was extremely fruitful.

After going out with a boy named Kouga, who had dumped her for being "a bore", Kagome had not been able to ignore the truth in his words. It had been a little over two weeks since they'd broken up, and she hadn't stopped thinking about it since.

She'd woken up that Tuesday feeling sick with herself. She'd gone over her day and had wanted to scream. She had two classes, in between which she would have a quiet lunch at home because Sango was spending her day shopping with her friend Yura, and in the evening, since Sango was going to dinner with a guy who'd been after her for a while, she'd have a quiet dinner at home, maybe watch a dvd, and go over the notes she'd taken in class that day. The only excuse she could come up with was that she had two classes and that it would exhaust her. But then, even if she hadn't had two classes that day, would it have been that much different?

Angry again, Kagome flipped over the page she'd been writing on. She had to concentrate again, she wasn't even listening to the professor. Mrs. Nault walked to the other side of the large classroom, going on about journalism. Kagome sighed; wishing Sango was in her class. This was the only class she actually hated. Mrs. Nault was the oldest, most boring teacher anyone could ever have.

Unable to cast away the unwanted thoughts, Kagome remembered Sango telling her about a club called Euphoria she really wanted to check out. She'd been ushering her to go to the city with her for a weekend, party, shop, and come back home.

Of course, Kagome had said no. But with her recent thoughts, and her birthday coming up, she reconsidered. She was turning twenty two. She couldn't afford to spend another year staying in, night after night. These were her years, and she was wasting them.

Suddenly determined that Euphoria was the first step towards a better life, Kagome cracked a little smile. It couldn't be a bad idea to do something stupid for once. She could focus a little less on her studies, and a little more on her social life. She could afford to spend a little less time alone with her books. After all, she was a smart person, she could juggle work and play.

Maybe she _would_ go with Sango.

When she'd casually announced this to her on the phone while heading home after her second class, Sango had sounded very excited. "We'll have so much fun, Kagome, I promise you'll love it!"

"I'm sure I will," Kagome said, laughing. Her friend was always so excitable. "Where is this club, anyway?" She asked.

"Not very far from the NYU campus…" Sango answered her, and Kagome could hear Yura close to her, asking her how she looked. "Oh, yeah, that looks great on you, how much does it cost?"

"I'll talk to you later tonight," Kagome said. "Say hi to Yura for me. Have fun!"

"You, too," Sango said. "I'm coming home in about an hour anyway. Kisses." Kagome flipped her phone shut. _You, too_, she thought. _What fun am I going to have? _

XX

"Damn you, Kikyo." The angry whisper left Inuyasha as he slammed his laptop shut. There went his sudden studying mood. He had woken up in a good mood that morning – which didn't happen often – and had decided that it was time for him to make up for all the classes he'd slept through. He wasn't doing particularly well; and his parents were scared of him being kicked out of NYU. Yeah, like _that_ would happen.

Inuyasha knew he could pull anything off if he really set his mind to it.

The only thing that wasn't applying to this rule was the fact that he couldn't get over Kikyo. She had been his girlfriend – his first serious girlfriend – for about three years; until he found out that she had been cheating on him with a guy called Bankotsu, or something like that. Inuyasha had been furious. He'd almost ripped the guy's throat out when he'd found out.

And now, four months later, Kikyo had started calling him, hoping that he had cooled off, to try and get him back. As much as it was tempting, Inuyasha wouldn't accept. She had hurt him so much it was impossible to describe. Inuyasha had loved her. He had loved her more than anything in the world, and he'd thought she had loved him the same. Everything he had hoped for had been shattered in a second. He had seen Kikyo as everything; he had wanted to marry her.

He had actually been thinking about it for a while. He had been twenty two, and she twenty one. They were in love. Why _not_ get married? He had bought the ring, prepared his apartment for the occasion, actually made dinner (and not Ramen) and placed rose petals all over his bed.

How much more uncharacteristic can you get?

He had wanted to surprise her, and so, dropping by at her dorm room, he noticed her door was unlocked. Stepping in, he heard noises coming from the kitchen. He'd slammed the door open, worried about a robber. What he had found wasn't exactly…it.

But now, it was different. He didn't love Kikyo anymore. He wasn't completely over her, but definitely didn't love her anymore.

He didn't _want_ Kikyo anymore, but he didn't want any other girl, either. "I don't want to date anyone," he would say. "Just let me have fun." Of course, his idea of fun was to go out on a single date with a girl, bang her, and move on. It helped to forget about Kikyo. He had been fine until she had started calling him again. The thing was; she wouldn't get the hint. '_Maybe if I actually told her off…'_ he wondered. '_No.' _As much as he hated to admit it, Inuyasha would fall right back into her arms, into her spell, if ever he tried talking to her.

The phone rang. Inuyasha sighed, getting up from his desk and walking towards his bed on which he'd thrown his cordless phone after hanging up on Kikyo a minute ago.

He looked over to the little screen. _Private Number_, it read. He cursed under his breath, hoping it wasn't _her_ again.

"Yeah?" he muttered as he picked up.

"Yash, my man," he heard a male's voice chuckle.

"Yeah," he answered with a sigh. It was obviously not Kikyo. He was angry about the sudden disappointment that he felt.

"So," Miroku went on, "Fucked anyone last night?"

"Yeah, right." Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "I'm not in the mood for that shit. I need to study for an exam in two days."

"Study?" Miroku gasped dramatically. "Would the legendary Inuyasha Taisho ever lift a book? Have I lived to see this miracle?"

"Sit on my fucking finger," Inuyasha dismissed him.

"I would, baby," Miroku joked, "but I'm not into guys. Sorry."

Inuyasha groaned in disgust as he made a face. "Fuck that. Why are you calling?"

"There's this new club opening up, and I was wondering if you wanted to go…"

"Dude, you sound like you're asking me out on a date. Yeah, sure. Where is it?"

"Real close to here. How about Friday night? Since you have to _study_." He rolled his eyes.

"Fuck you. Friday's fine." And with that, he hung up.

About five seconds later, the phone rang again. Sure that it was Miroku, Inuyasha answered. "Damn it man, I need to get to work!"

"Please don't hang up." Inuyasha's heart raced.

"Fuck, Kikyo!" he yelled, frustration getting the best of him. "I'm fucking sick of you calling me! You think you can fuck around on me and then come crawling back? Just stop it. You're wasting my time." He was about to hang up, when he heard her broken voice again.

"Y-Yash, I'm sorry…" His eyes softened, and his finger paused on the end button. He tried to say something, and apparently so did she, but all he heard was a sob. And then two. Inuyasha's eyes widened. He had never heard Kikyo cry before. "I really am sorry," she said quickly. "And I've been going through Hell for the past four months. I know I screwed up – "

"You did," he said, sounding more uncaring than he really was. "And I've been fine during the past four months."

"I don't believe that," she said, her voice somewhat steady again, but pained nonetheless. "But, even if you really are," she added, "we were more than fine, together. We were so happy. Try to remember."

_Remember?_ She didn't – couldn't – know that remembering was the only thing that was stopping him from healing. But he could see it for a minute, he could see what his life would be if he believed that she regretted, if he took her back into his life.

"No," he said abruptly. "Stop calling." He didn't wait for her answer before ending the call.

"No more," he whispered. He stretched, and decided it was useless to try to study. Sighing, he opted for a shower instead. And even though Kikyo's cries echoed in his mind for the rest of the day, he ignored them, as he'd learned to do for the past four months, and it was only late at night, when he lay in bed with a busty blonde sound asleep next to him, that he thought about it again. _Try to remember._

XX

**AN: ****Well, here's the rewrite. I didn't change the main idea, just the way everything was written. **

**Hope you like it. I've posted the rewritten first chapter, too, and the second chapter. **

**Tell me what you think! :) **


	2. The Day Planner

**The Day Planner**

**Chapter One**

**The Day Planner**

Miroku Houshi yawned widely, stretching his arms as he rolled to the side of the bed. He opened his eyes slowly, staring at his clock. 10:37, it read. He stared at it for three whole minutes before the radio blasted from it, signaling that it was time to get up. On Wednesdays, he had it easy: only one class at eleven thirty. But it was the most boring class one could imagine – three hours long, with the most boring teacher you could think up.

As an architecture student, Miroku had been asked to take one History of the Arts class. It was the only class he didn't like. He got up slowly, stood on tip-toes to stretch his legs fully, and went right to the bathroom. He slipped into the shower without bothering to get a towel – these things were already prepared beforehand. He hung a clean towel next to the shower curtain after every shower. Call him crazy, but that was something he could never live without. He went insane when his towel had already been used, or if it wasn't hung by the shower in the morning.

Today was one of those days – one of those days that made him cranky for the stupidest reason. "Fuck!" he swore as he tried to tip-toe out of the shower to keep from wetting the bathroom rug. He opened the cupboard next to the sink to reveal a huge pile of white, soft, crispy towels. He snatched one and wrapped himself in it, drying himself before he walked toward his room. He stopped and remembered he hadn't hung another clean towel next to the shower. He snickered at himself as he rectified his mistake. No wonder he couldn't live with anyone. If anyone knew his strange need to have a clean towel every day they'd probably think he was insane. He shrugged and went back to his room to dress.

He sighed as he stared at a shirt: it was brown. He looked at a pair of jeans: the threading was brown. That should be fine, he thought as he put the clothes on. By the time he'd brushed his teeth and found his history binder, his hair was already dry. He smoothed it out with his fingers and looked at his reflection in the mirror. "Fuck," he said for the second time already.

He walked towards the door, taking his wallet and his keys off the table in the entrance to his apartment. He opened the door and dropped his binder. He swore as he lowered himself to pick it up, only to hit his head on the handle of the door while standing back up. "Fuck!!" he yelled for the third time that morning, pissed off already. "All this because of the fucking towel!"

He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. 11:02. He pressed two, his speed dial for Inuyasha (number one was reserved for his mother), and waited for it to ring once before hanging up, effectively leaving a missed call on his friend's cell phone. A minute later he received the same thing, and was careful not to answer the call. It rang once – another missed call from Inuyasha. This was their signal to say they were leaving the apartment. It was effective – they both understood it – and saved them a minute on their calling plan every morning.

About four minutes later, they were in front of Starbuck's. Both of them lived right off campus, and since they both had a class on Wednesday morning, they would have breakfast together before getting bored out of their minds by their teachers.

"Hey, man," Miroku greeted curtly when he saw his friend.

"What's up?" Inuyasha asked him when he saw that Miroku was in a bad mood. It happened sometimes – he would be in a bad mood for no apparent reason, and when Inuyasha asked him what was wrong, he would mutter under his breath and say nothing. He wasn't crazy enough to tell Inuyasha about the towels. It was too stupid.

"Nothing." Miroku walked towards the cash. "Two tall vanilla lattes," he snapped. It was their usual.

"Um, p-please," Inuyasha somewhat stammered from behind him. It wasn't his type to be – well – nice, but Miroku had been so raw he wondered how the employee hadn't hit him on the head with the cash register. He didn't miss the deathly glare Miroku sent his way. _'Must be one of those days…'_ Inuyasha thought.

They sat down and sipped their coffees slowly for a minute before Inuyasha told his friend about Kikyo calling him again the previous day. Miroku eyed him warily the whole time, trying to make him understand, with his eyes only, that he hated the woman and he would kick the shit out of his hanyou friend if he thought he should get back together with her.

"And my brother called me last night," Inuyasha added. Sesshomaru was Inuyasha's older brother. He was taking over the family business in a few years, when his father had finished teaching him everything he needed to know. Taisho Co. was a very important shipping business around the world. Inuyasha had been expected to do the same as his brother, and that was why his father had forced him to take business and economy classes when all he'd wanted to do was study engineering. "He's taking a break from work this weekend and wants to spend it with us." The brothers had not been close for a very long time, but things were getting better between them, and Sesshomaru was doing his best to spend time with his younger brother.

"That's great," Miroku said. "He could come out with us Friday – I'm sure it isn't healthy for him to stay in so much. He could have fun for once."

Inuyasha nodded, and glanced at his watch. "It's time to get moving, dude," he said to Miroku. His class was at twelve, so he watched Miroku get up and walk towards the architecture building. The hanyou turned his attention back to his latte, willing the image of Kikyo away from his mind.

Miroku waved at his friend and stared straight ahead. He wondered if Inuyasha was really over Kikyo. All he knew was that the woman was one of the bitchiest he'd ever met, and if he ever saw her again, he'd probably give her a piece of his mind.

He'd been so deep in thought that he didn't realize at all when he bumped into a woman. "Oh!" he said, as he scrambled to try to catch the bag that probably contained her laptop before it fell. He was caught off-guard when her hand snapped faster than his to catch it. He looked up at her and his breath almost caught. The demoness was beautiful: she had long, straight black hair, her eyes a shade of violet, and flawless and smooth-looking skin. She glared at him. "Sorry," he apologized meekly. "Miroku." He held out his hand for her to shake. She didn't budge. "Um, sorry," he said again, uncomfortable, about to retract his hand.

She cocked her head at him for a second before surprising him by shaking his hand.

"Kagura," she said.

XX

"Kagome, what am I doing Monday at three?" Sango asked her friend, sitting on the sofa across from her. They were both sitting comfortably, cradling a mug of coffee, watching _Seinfeld._ Kagome frowned, not seeming to remember. "I know it's something important…" Sango mused.

Kagome sighed and got out of her comfortable position to walk into her room. She and Sango shared an apartment a few minutes away from Yale, one they'd both decorated themselves. They'd done all the painting, all the planning, all the picking out… All in all, they loved their place, even if they sometimes wished it was bigger. It was close to everything and had a beautiful view.

Kagome picked up a thick day planner from her desk and started flipping the pages as she walked back to the living room. "Ah – there it is," she said. "S: Dentist appointment. Honestly, how do you forget these things?"

Sango nodded, remembering now that she'd indeed gotten a call from her dentist a week earlier because he'd moved her up in his schedule. "You would forget, too, if you didn't write everything in that sad book of yours."

Kagome frowned, slightly annoyed. "Sad?"

"It's probably so stacked that you can hardly close it anymore," Sango rolled her eyes. "Show me that." Kagome handed her the blue _Longchamp_ day planner, one of the items she couldn't live without. She kept it in her purse whenever she went out, and never, ever forgot to write something in it. It was packed with birthdays, appointments, classes, tests, exams, calls to make, post-it's, homework, chores, laundry days… and most of Sango's appointments – the ones she was most likely to forget. As Sango had suspected, Kagome had stuck so many post-it's, glued so many business cards, and pinned so many notes, that it could hardly snap closed anymore. "You need a new one," she said.

"No!" Kagome protested. "I have everything in that one." And then she started enumerating the phone numbers, birthdays, etc, that she had stacked in that poor book.

"The leather is getting torn up at the edges," Sango went on.

"But I _like_ this one!" Kagome protested. "Leave me alone."

Just as she said that, Sango's cell phone rang. "Kagura!" she answered happily. "Yes, yes, I did call you…"

Kagome tuned out her friend as she opened her beloved day planner. She stared at the first page of the book. The page marked '2'. No, there was no page 1. The first page of the book was the one with all the information such as name and address to fill out. Kagome had ripped out that page angrily after she'd broken up with Kouga. He was the one who'd bought it for her a little less than a year before, knowing that she needed a new one. He'd filled out the information page for her, adding little hearts everywhere.

Kagome sighed as she flipped the pages. It had been silly, but really adorable. The first pages were filled with phone numbers. So many phone numbers that you couldn't even tell which ones were her friends and which ones were just business numbers, and which ones were school related, etc. Of course, Sango's number wasn't there, Kagome thought with a smile. She'd bought her friend her phone line so many years ago, when they were still teenagers. With the permission of Sango's mother, Kagome had chosen her best friend's cell phone and her number, and had known it by heart since the first day.

The next pages were filled with time tables, for her classes. Those were filled with extra notes, even, for her to know which teacher was available when and where for questions.

Kagome heard Sango clear her throat and looked up. "If you're done staring at that book so lovingly," she said pointedly, "I have to talk to you." When Kagome just glared, Sango went on. "We're going to Euphoria with Kagura at eleven on Friday night. We'll be going there with Kohaku's car." Kohaku was Sango's younger brother. To her parents' dismay, Kohaku was a car lover. He worked at a garage, making little money, but he had dreams. When he had free time, he worked on building cars. Since Sango helped pay for some of the parts when he was short on money, he let her borrow it when she went to New York City. "We'll crash at Kagura's place, shop on Saturday, and come back Sunday."

Kagome nodded. "Up," she said to her friend. "You have class in an hour!"

Sango stuck her tongue out at her friend.

XX

Kagura walked by Starbuck's again after calling Sango. She'd just sat through two hours of Mr. Richard's rambling and she needed to relax. She stared at the spot where she'd bumped into Miroku a few hours earlier for a second, before walking into the coffee shop. She ordered a tall espresso and sat down, turning on her laptop. She checked her e-mail quickly, scanning through the important ones, the useless ones, and the school ones.

She then sat there for a couple of minutes, thinking about her next assignment. She was struggling with all the time she lost going out. She had the rest of the day off. Mentally planning four hours to study, and then two hours to start her assignment, she had little left for socializing, especially if, knowing herself, she would stop a little after every hour of studying.

Looking up, she saw her best friend Kanna walking in the coffee shop.

"Kanna!" Kagura called out. Said girl turned to her, her eyes widening a little at her surprise.

"Hey," she said as she sat down in front of Kagura after kissing her cheek. "I wasn't expecting to see you here. Have you finished your project?"

Kagura sighed heavily. "No, I haven't even started, but I just sat through Richards and I need a break."

"Ugh," Kanna agreed. "If you need any help with your project, I'm here."

"It's alright," Kagura said with a smile. "I'll manage. But thanks." Kanna and Kagura both had it relatively easy: they didn't have any job, and didn't see their family often, so they both had a lot of time on their hands to study. But with Kagura's going out, Kanna often had to help her.

Kanna gave her a smile of her own and got up to get her own coffee. While she waited for it, she went back to sit down with Kagura.

"I'm going to Euphoria tomorrow," Kagura told her. She didn't even ask Kanna to come along anymore, knowing that Kanna preferred a quiet night at home curled up with a book to a nightclub. "Sango and her friend Kagome are coming with."

When Kanna just nodded, Kagura went on. "I met this guy today, while walking out of here in the morning. He bumped into me. His name is Miroku."

Kanna nodded. "I know Miroku. He's in my Tuesday class with Mr. Thayer."

Kagura's eyes widened. "Oh," she said. "Tell me about him."

Kanna eyed her friend suspiciously. "Well," she said. "I don't really know him that well. I know he spends a lot of time with a guy named Inuyasha, with whom I just had class."

Kagura glanced at her watch. It was two fifteen, Kanna had just been in class. As Kagura watched Kanna get up to pay her coffee, she thought about that. "So Inuyasha just ended class, too," she repeated to Kanna when the girl sat back down.

"Yes. I expect he'll be here any second now, he's a coffee addict." True to Kanna's word, Inuyasha walked in a minute later. "That's him," Kanna said to Kagura, nodding toward the man who'd just entered the coffee shop.

Kagura nodded. "So how have you been?" she asked her friend. We haven't spoken in so long…"

"Yeah," Kanna said. "I'm fine. Just finished that project I had to do for Mr. Prant. I'm four days early, which is great. I have a lot of free time now." Kanna was smiling, but this news made Kagura's stomach turn.

"Oh, god. I haven't reviewed my notes for yesterday's class either!"

Kanna frowned. Why did this have to happen so often? She asked a staff member to get her a piece of paper. Kanna knew Kagura's time table by heart, and more often than not, she helped her organize her time to study.

"Here," she said, writing down 'Thursday' on the paper. Tomorrow morning, you have class from ten to two. After that, you're going to spend the whole evening studying that class. Okay?" When Kagura bit her lip and nodded, Kanna went on. "Friday, since you're going out, you're going to spend your whole morning studying yesterday's class." Kagura nodded again, frowning. "After that, we'll have lunch." She said this with a smile, "And you'll spend the rest of the day working on your project."

Kagura sighed. "I'll be done by Friday then?" she asked, already thinking about what she'd be doing on the weekend.

"No," Kanna laughed. "Saturday, you can relax, but on Sunday, you have to finish that assignment."

Kagura groaned. "But it's due Tuesday!" she said. At Kanna's look, she understood that she wouldn't win this argument. She grudgingly took the schedule Kanna had written for her and placed it in her purse. She sipped her latte silently while Kanna told her about a movie she wanted to watch.

Neither had noticed the time pass, but when Kagura glanced at her watch, it was already almost three. "You have to go study," Kanna reminded her friend. Kagura sighed, placing her laptop in its case, and getting up. She knew Kanna would stay there for a while longer, checking her own e-mail before going back to her apartment to study.

As she was getting out of the coffee shop, she noticed the man named Inuyasha was still sitting close to the door, sipping his coffee and reading a copy of one of the required books for business classes. No wonder he had a class in common with Kanna. _He's a hanyou, _she realized. So busy looking at him, she hadn't noticed the other man who'd been holding the door open for her.

"Oh," she gasped as she turned to the door. "Oh," she said again, when she looked at the face grinning at her.

"I didn't bump into you this time," Miroku said to her, laughing. He'd been holding the door for her for a couple of seconds, seeing as he'd been about to enter the shop himself. She heard Inuyasha call out Miroku's name. Miroku didn't even glance at him.

"Thanks," Kagura finally said, a tiny smile on her lips. She nodded to him and walked out, a giddy feeling making her smile all the way out of campus.

Miroku looked at her walking away, and then went to sit at the table where Inuyasha was. Said man was staring at him, frowning. "Oi," he said. "Who was that?"

"That," Miroku said, "is my future girlfriend."

"Yeah," Inuyasha laughed. "You're going to go out with one of the most beautiful girl's I've ever seen. Yeah."

Miroku payed zero attention to him.

**AN: Also rewritten. Very little changed, though. **


	3. The Taishos

**The Day Planner**

**Chapter Two**

**The Taishos**

**AN: IMPORTANT! If you've already read the prologue and first chapter, and have been waiting for this chapter, I have to warn you that I've rewritten the previous two chapters. The content has not changed much, but I would recommend that you read them again. You've probably forgotten them anyway, as I haven't updated in a long time… Sorry about that!**

Sesshomaru Taisho had woken up that Thursday morning on the wrong side of the bed. As he borrowed the familiar route to the Taisho Co building that he took every day, he didn't even notice the people staring at his beautiful yellow Porsche. He was used to the attention now. At just eighteen, his father had bought him an Audi sports car. He'd been so happy at the time, so proud of his family's wealth. It had taken him a long time to be able to see his father in his true light. As his eldest son, he'd always had the knowledge that his father's multi-billion company would one day be his. He had been grateful until his first day of work two years ago.

"_Sesshomaru," Touga Taisho said crisply as the two men walked out of the elevator to the fifth floor. _

_Sesshomaru glanced at his father, almost exploding with joy with every step. He did not show it, yet the honor of walking into his father's office for the first time in his life, to commence his own career, was overwhelming. Touga had never allowed any visits to his office. A serious, ambitious man, Touga lived for his company. He'd worked very hard to build his empire, and had come a long way. _

"_I have already explained to you the work you will be doing." His tone was different than it had been back home, or even during the car ride to the company. "You will be feared not only because you have a powerful position, but because you are my son. But you must never forget that in Taisho Co, I am not only your father, but your boss, and you will do well to obey me and never disappoint me." _

_Sesshomaru didn't know what the best answer was, but he settled for "I'll do my best, father." _

_Touga glanced at him and nodded. "You will do better than your best." As they walked through the little offices, every employee glanced at them discreetly, for they were curious to finally see Mr Taisho's eldest son, but scared to be noticed, for Touga never forgot a face, and if he found any of them staring rudely, they would be fired almost instantly. Mr Taisho was a feared man._

"_Your office is at the end of the hall," he said to his son. "You will find that it has been completely furnished. If you would like anything else in it, you should speak to your assistant about it. Her name is Rin Mori. I have not interviewed her myself, but Jaken has informed me that though her resume is a little below our standards, she is the brightest one of all the candidates that he has interviewed. Nevertheless, should you find her inadequate, you should let him know. I trust that you can make yourself comfortable. Have Rin come to my office in about an hour so that I can give you some paperwork."_

Sesshomaru had been ecstatic during his first few days of work, but had soon come to despise his father inside the Taisho Co building. He was a different man in the office, less honest and understanding. And that was the nicest way to put it. Sesshomaru had started to resent his family and his wealth, but had invested too much of himself into Taisho Co to quit. He would have to wait until his father decided to retire before being able to enjoy his work.

Every day at the office was stressful and frustrating. He hated the change in his father at Taisho Co and he hated even more than he couldn't talk to him about it. He hated that he had to listen to his yelling and his threats and then see him on Sundays and having to act like it didn't bother him in front of his mother.

He shook out these ideas as he parked in the underground parking. The building in which Taisho Co was located was a massive yet elegant edifice. As he got to the fifth floor, Sessomaru straightened his shoulders and breathed out slowly. When the elevator doors opened, his assistant, Anna, greeted him instantly. "Good morning, mister Taisho." He nodded to her and she continued. "You have two messages. Would you like me to read them to you right now?"

"No," he said. "Do I have any appointments today?"

Anna walked with him towards his office, as she did every morning. "Yes, mister Taisho. You have an appointment with Mr Yamamoto at eleven here at the office, and then lunch with Mr Takahashi at two, and then an appointment with the CEO of the trucking company at three thirty, and then an appointment with your father at four."

Sesshomaru nodded. He was sitting at his desk now. "I'll take my messages now."

"Your brother called," Anna started. "He wanted to know why your cell phone was off and wanted you to call him as soon as you could. And Sarah Parkman from the _Times_ called and wants to ask you a few questions for an article, and will call back later today."

"I'll call my brother now and remind him to stop calling me at work," Sesshomaru said, cracking a tiny smile. "If the Times call back, you can tell them where they can put there article, and will you please stop taking messages for them, and the call the supply manager, and tell him that I'm going to need a new screen for my desktop, and please stack my printer, and get the coffee boy to bring me my usual."

Anna nodded as she put away the little notebook in which she'd been writing it all. "Is that all?"

"Yes, thank you Anna."

When he was alone in his office, Sesshomaru flicked the mouse of his computer. He entered his password, and went directly to his e-mail. The company had their own server for sharing files. He updated his calendar and printed out a sheet of information that he was going to have to give a client later. He then picked up his phone and dialed his brother's cell number.

"Sesshomaru," Inuyasha greeted as soon as he picked up. "How are you?"

"As usual, little brother," Sesshomaru answered him with an almost imperceptible sigh. His brother knew about his problems with his father. "Why are you up so early?"

"I'm studying," Inuyasha groaned. "Don't say anything." His brother laughed. "I'm calling because I need you to explain an equation to me."

"You need me to explain something to you," Sesshomaru repeated. "Are you so far behind that you don't even understand theory? How are you writing your essays?"

"I don't know Sessh, I don't care. Are you going to explain it to me or not?"

"Yeah," Sesshomaru said. "Can it wait a couple of hours? I need to speak with some employees." His voice was stern.

"Sure. You sound apprehensive." Inuyasha knew all about Sesshomaru's hatred for his father when they were at the office, and could only imagine how it would be for him when he started working there if his father was still working. Since his childhood, Sesshomaru had been Touga's favorite son, and the most obedient. He had always looked up to his father and sought his approval. Inuyasha had always been the less appreciated one, and therefore had never made any efforts to stay in line or to do what his father deemed he should.

His step mother, Sesshomaru's wife, had never really liked him, because she had a particular dislike for hanyous. But above that, she was a very selfish woman who rarely cared for people other than herself and her son. She worshipped Sesshomaru but discouraged any of the affection that Touga had for his younger son. She had also always been angry that Touga would always hold an intense affection towards his former wife, who had died shortly after giving birth to Inuyasha. Yet it was a little consolation for her to know that Touga had always subconsciously blamed his youngest son for the death of his mother and therefore didn't have anyone to grieve his loss with.

"I am apprehensive," Sesshomaru answered, pulling Inuyasha out of his thoughts. "I have to fire someone. I can't stand it when my father makes me do his dirty work for him. It wouldn't bother _him_ to fire Ando. He doesn't care that if he loses his job, his wife will leave him, and he will most likely never see his only son again." Sesshomaru signed heavily. "I can't believe that I'm going to do that to him."

Inuyasha didn't know what to say. "I don't know how you can take it. I don't know how I'm going to be able to take it. I think I might hit him in the face at some point."

Sesshomaru chuckled as he pictured the scene. "You can still save yourself. Demand your rightful part of his money and run away," he joked.

"I just might…" Inuyasha said, seriously considering the idea. He didn't need his father to support him financially. He could fend for himself. "I've got to get back to my studying now. I have a class at eleven."

When he'd hung up with his brother, Inuyasha turned his attention back to his laptop. He tried to concentrate on the notes he'd taken during his professor's last lecture, but the idea that he could just stop business and go into engineering like he'd always dreamed kept nagging at him. He could sell his apartment – after all, it cost a little over a million dollars – and transfer to engineering. He'd get a smaller, more humble place, and get a job. He'd have enough to pay for his studies and with a little part-time job he'd have enough for his living expenses. And gas. He couldn't even think about selling his baby: his black Range Rover Sport.

Shaking his head to get rid of the day dream, he forced himself to focus on his notes. He had to ace this test.

XX

A few hours away, Sango Taijiya had stopped at the local coffee shop on her way back to her apartment. The warm smell of the mocha and coffee beans was more than welcome after the chilly air outside. "I'll have two tall caramel lattes," she ordered with a smile, untying her scarf. The man who was taking her order eyed her appreciatively. She pulled out her wallet.

"Oh, no," he said, "they're on the house." When she opened her mouth to argue, he went on, "I insist."

Sango flashed him a beautiful smile. "Thank you," she said. "That's very sweet of you."

He grinned at her as he made her drinks. "How about your number as thanks?"

Sango's smile became teasing. "I don't know about that," she said, toying with her scarf, tying it again. "Maybe the next time I come by." He placed both drinks in front of her and nodded. She winked at him. "Thanks," she said again as she helped herself to her drinks and got out of the coffee shop.

The walk to her apartment only took about seven minutes. By the time she'd gotten to her street, the coffee was still hot and had splashed a little on her hand. She lifted her hand to her lips and her tongue darted out to lick the little drop of coffee that had landed there. A man walking across the street stared at her. When she caught his eye, he smiled. She smiled back.

Moments later she was ringing the doorbell. Kagome opened the door for her. "Ohhh," she said. "You're a life saver. I hate the coffee I make." She took a sip of her latte and moaned. "Perfect."

"The cute coffee guy asked me for my number," Sango said to Kagome.

"Did you give it to him?" she asked. They were both curled up in their favorite seats.

"No," she said, "I don't know why, I didn't like the way he asked." Kagome laughed. She had an open book in her lap.

They sipped their coffee quietly, both comfortable with the silence. The television was turned on but they didn't really watch it, as they were both absorbed in their thoughts.

Sango had been feeling blue since she'd woken up. She hadn't answered her phone when the cute med student she'd gone to dinner with the previous night had called her. She stared at Kagome, contently sipping her coffee and reading, and wished that she could have been enjoying her free time as much. Since she could remember, Sango had always had a little nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she had forgotten something important. Kagome called it stress, but she knew that it wasn't it. She sometimes woke up at night, feeling hot and terribly distressed, without a palpable reason. She would think about it all night and have a weird day the next day.

But if she was sure it wasn't stress, Sango wasn't close to finding out what it was that bothered her so often. _Maybe there's something missing_, she thought as she watched her nails slide over the paper cup. But she could never put her finger on it. Sometimes she thought that Kagome might be right, and that it was something like stress, but if it was, then it was something more like guilt…A combination of guilt and stress. Guilt for not taking anything seriously, and then stress because she knew that one day she'd have to wake up and grow up.

But still, there was something she wasn't putting her finger on. The feeling was worse after she'd been with a man. _Maybe, deep down, I feel guilty for sleeping with men that I don't love._ As soon as she'd thought it, she knew it wasn't true. She had never resented her lifestyle, and she knew that she would never want to settle down. She loved the thrill of a new 'relationship'. As soon as the thrill of the beginning was over, she'd qualify the relationship as over, and move on. Taking a sip of her hot latte to distract herself, she decided that dwelling on these things would not help her. Right now, she had to work on an assignment.

As she was getting up to head to her room, her cell phone rang. It was Yura. "I slept with the sexiest guy in the world last night," she said.

Sango laughed. She put her on speaker so that Kagome would hear. Yura was always really entertaining. "Give me some details," she said, waving to Kagome and pointing to the cell phone so that she'd listen.

"Oh no," Yura whispered, "I'm keeping the details to myself. But I will say this: he was the best lay I've ever had. His body – wow! And even his hair was beautiful. It was long and white…"

Sango and Kagome both laughed. "The hair," Kagome said, "always the hair. What's name?"

Yura sighed with admiration. "His name is Inuyasha."

_Inuyasha,_ Kagome thought. _What an odd name. _

**AN: **

**How's that? I'm writing the third chapter already!**


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